Why Perdue and Isakson split over government funding bill,

WASHINGTON — Georgia’s two Republican senators split yesterday over legislation to avoid a government shutdown, showcasing their differing approaches when it comes to Congress’ responsibility in terms of keeping on the feds’ lights.

Johnny Isakson was among the 72 senators, including 40 Republicans, who voted in favor of the measure, which would fund the government on autopilot through mid-December (current money is set to expire today) and provide $1.1 billion to battle the Zika virus.

Isakson said in an interview that allowing a government shutdown “is never a solution” and that the Zika money in particular was worth any of the bill’s downsides.

“I personally am embarrassed for the country that we waited as long as we could to reach a Zika agreement, but at least we finally did it,” Isakson said.

David Perdue, meanwhile, joined 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats who voted against the funding patch. Perdue said his opposition was rooted in his disgust with Washington’s overall budget dysfunction.

Instead of constantly passing funding patches, Perdue said, lawmakers need to overhaul the rules of the road so that Congress is less incentivized to pass stopgaps. He’s part of a working group that’s aiming to do just that.

Isakson said he’s also supportive of a budget process overhaul but that voting against a bill to keep the government operating could lead to more serious consequences, including the government’s borrowing costs being raised.

The spending agreement took weeks to finalize following tense negotiations. Democrats rejected initial Republican offers over the lack of aid money for Flint, Michigan to rid its water system of lead.